World Archery named Aditi Swami of India the 2023 Breakthrough Archer of the Year on Sunday.
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Seventeen-year-old archer Aditi Swami has just scooped up the title of Breakthrough Archer of the Year for 2023 from World Archery. This honor comes on the heels of the World Archery Indoor Series final, which took place in Las Vegas, U.S., last Sunday. Aditi has had an incredible run this year, making history as India’s first world archery champ.
She’s also helped India shine at the Asian Games, where she snagged a gold with her team and bagged an individual bronze. Aditi‘s rise to fame began at the Medellin World Cup in Colombia where she set a new junior world record and outclassed seasoned archers in the rankings. She rode that wave of success to gold at the World U19 Archery Championships in Limerick, Ireland, and then clinched the senior world title in Berlin, Germany.
Plus, as part of India’s compound women’s team with Parneet Kaur and Jyothi Surekha Vennam, she raked in four golds last year, including one at the World Championships. Meanwhile, the Indian national compound team has been flourishing under the leadership of coach Sergio Pagni, who bagged the Best Coach of the Year award for 2023.
The Italian coach, a former two-time World Cup Final champ himself, took the reins of India’s team in December 2022 and has been a game-changer for them. Under his guidance, the Indian compound team notched an exceptional three world championship golds in a single year, plus they swept every gold up for grabs at last year’s Asian Games. It’s been a standout year for Indian archery, thanks in large part to Pagni’s stellar coaching.
At the 2023 World Archery Championships, Aditi Swami made history for India by grabbing the gold in the Compound Women’s final, making her the nation’s first solo world champ at the senior level. Moving from a nearby village to Satara for his daughter’s sports training, Aditi’s father, Gopichand, who teaches math, discovered Shahu Stadium as the perfect place for 12-year-old Aditi to explore sports.
There, amidst footballers and athletes, she picked up a bow and arrow with a keen interest, which set her on the path to archery under Coach Pravin Sawant in a local sugarcane field. Aditi shattered records by becoming the world’s youngest archery World Champion at just 17, clinching the top spot in Compound Women at the championships, a first since 2006. She performed commendably on her own and contributed to her team’s victory at the World Championships.
Together with Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Parneet Kaur, she contributed to the team effort. Her talent shone through as she bagged double golds at the World Archery Youth Championships in 2023 and was part of the victorious team at the 2022 Asian Games. Her achievements were recognized with the prestigious Arjuna Award, presented by the President of India on January 9, 2024.
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